System for storage and retrieval of warehousable objects

ABSTRACT

A track system for storage and retrieval of materials for use with warehousing vehicle that rides upon tracks in horizontal configuration for storage locations, and that is capable of switching to and riding a sloped track to ascend or descend vertically. A set of transition exchanges allows the vehicle to access multiple levels of storage “flooring” or shelving. The exchanges use ramps, or movable sections of railway, that may be moved out of the way of a set of wheels of the vehicle, while other ramps are set in place to provide support to some wheels of the vehicle, whereby the vehicle may selectively either travel along the elevator track, or to move between elevator track and level storage locations.

This application is a continuation of copending U.S. application Ser.No. 11/098,224 filed Apr. 4, 2005, which in turn claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Application 60/558,822 filed Apr. 2, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to solutions for storing, moving, andretrieving objects in warehousing or high density storage environments.More particularly, the invention is directed toward a system for rackingor storage and retrieval of multiple items as in a warehouse orlibrarying environment.

2. Description of Related Art

The industry is aware of the need for increasing efficiency andcapabilities of storage in high density situations. In the art,warehouses and high volume storage are typically effected with the useof devices that rely upon an overhead or floor-based support. By way ofexample, forklifts are frequently employed, which ride on the floor, andlift products to various shelving levels. Passage under the forkliftsfor persons, other equipment, and the like is not practicable.Alternately, the industry uses overhead cranes and tracks to guideproducts to storage shelving. Similarly, the number of operable pendantsystems is limited by the fact that such devices have difficulty passingone another.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The following stated objects of the invention are alternative andexemplary objects only, and should not be read as required for thepractice of the invention, or as an exhaustive listing of objectsaccomplished.

An exemplary and non-exclusive alternative object of this invention isto provide a multilevel storage and retrieval vehicle and for use withan associated racking system.

A further exemplary and non-exclusive alternative object is to provide amultilevel storage and retrieval vehicle and racking system in which avehicle can move independent of the floor or overhead cranes.

Still further exemplary advantages could be recited, though not all arenecessary for a system or device to fall within the scope of thisinvention. For (non-limiting) example, only, the described system doesnot necessarily include a boom or mast yet it can reach extremely highareas within a storage facility. Unlike industrial trucks or fork lifts,it has a reduced tendency to “tip over;” the vehicle 10 can operateabove head-height of personnel, creating an “area system” virtuallyeliminating human contact or interference; the vehicle 10 may beconfigured to negotiate very narrow aisles at much greater speeds thantraditional devices like a bridge crane, and to pass over stored items,yet unlike a crane also can travel under stored items; it requires insome configurations no heavy counterweight, and therefore could be mademore economical and flexible than traditional solutions; it may workwell in unusual environments i.e., frozen, wet, hazardous, orunderground; it has particular usefulness in ships and mobile equipment,as the entire storage area might be tilted or incur severe shock fromoutside; in addition, depending upon desire, one vehicle can be used tostore, retrieve and deliver items saving many steps in process; thedescribed system may be computer controlled saving operator cost andreducing errors. These discussed advantages are exemplary only, andabsence of any or all of these should not be construed as limiting thescope of the invention.

The above objects and advantages are neither exhaustive nor individuallycritical to the spirit and practice of the invention. Other oralternative objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from the following description ofthe invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A track system for storage and retrieval of materials for use withwarehousing vehicle that rides upon tracks in horizontal configurationfor storage locations, and that is capable of switching to and riding asloped track to ascend or descend vertically. A set of transitionexchanges allows the vehicle to access multiple levels of storage“flooring” or shelving. The exchanges use ramps, or movable sections ofrailway, that may be moved out of the way of a set of wheels of thevehicle, while other ramps are set in place to provide support to somewheels of the vehicle, whereby the vehicle may selectively either travelalong the elevator track, or to move between elevator track and levelstorage locations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an warehousing vehicle for use with thepresent invention, resting on a segment of track.

FIG. 2 depicts an warehousing vehicle for use the present invention froma side view.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the warehousing vehicle for use with thepresent invention, in connection with a track system for the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of a different configuration of the tracksystem, with storage beneath the elevator track.

FIG. 5 shows a view of an alternative embodiment, located on a level runof track

FIG. 6 shows the same vehicle as in FIG. 5, configured with wheelspositioned for a slope of an elevator track

FIG. 7 shows a top down view of the vehicle on rails

FIG. 8 shows a vehicle passing through an exchange, with the upper,traction wheels in a pathway.

FIG. 9 shows the same position and vehicle as FIG. 8, but from a rearperspective angle

FIG. 10 shows the same position and vehicle as in FIGS. 8 and 9, butfrom a front perspective angle.

FIG. 11 shows a view similar to that in FIG. 9, but for use with astorage racking system in which the storage is above the elevator track.

FIG. 12 is a rendition of the vehicle on a track near storage bins.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following is a detailed description of the invention. Those skilledin the art will understand that the specificity provided herein isintended for illustrative purposes with respect to the inventor'spreferred and most preferred embodiments, and is not to be interpretedas limiting the scope of the invention. The inventor notes that it usesthe term “rails” to refer to any weight-bearing configuration such asbeams, planks, pipes, runners, paired-and-recessed grooves, etc. Withinthe meaning of a “rail,” a set of paired upper and lower surfaces may becreated from separate components to make a single rail. Where theinventor describes wheels, it will be understood that serpentine belts,conveyor tracks, bearings, skids, skis, and rollers, or multiples ofthese, or other known movement mechanisms may be employed.

This system is applicable to a type of Automated Storage and RetrievalSystem also known as AS/RS in the art of materials handling. Thisdisclosure addresses several alternative configurations of suchequipment design. There may be a need for multiple changes in scale andconfiguration, all of which remain in the spirit and scope of theinvention, as material handling in nature is often very diverse andspecific to many types of materials and the manner in which they are tobe handled, stored and delivered. The described materials handlingsystem may be configured to take advantage of any of many alternativeadvantages over current devices.

The system may contain the following (separately, together, or amongothers).

1. Transport Equipment

2. Positioning Equipment

3. Load Development Equipment

4. Incline to level Exchanges

5. Storage Equipment

6. Remote Access track or tracks

7. And/or other Features

The student of this disclosure will see that the transport equipment isa track-guided or track-riding vehicle that may exhibit capabilitiesoverlapping those of a bridge crane or forklifts. Described generally,the system involves a vehicle 10 that rides on a track 4. Morespecifically, the track 4 may be split into vertically (and possiblyhorizontally) separated tracks 4, such that the vehicle 10 can travel onany number of levels of track 4 for storage or movement purposes (seegenerally FIG. 3). In an aspect taught herein, the set of tracks 4 isprovided with an elevator track 30, which is similar to the other tracks4, but crosses or intersects with multiple levels of the tracks 4. Itwill be seen (e.g., FIG. 3) that the elevator track 30, by crossingother tracks 4, provides a path for travel of the vehicle 10 allowing itto both travel along tracks 4 (or access them for dropping off orpicking up items for storage), and to move between or among such tracks4, changing levels as may be necessary. In order to facilitate suchactivity, the intersection of elevator track 30 and track(s) 4 isprovided with “exchanges,” which are further described herein. As shouldbe understood, if the exchanges were static configurations in which theelevator track 30 and the track(s) 4 were in a fixed relationship,passage of the vehicle 10 to multiple tracks or locations would not bepossible. For example, where the elevator track 30 is a perfectly plumbtrack, and the track(s) 4 are perfectly horizontal, each of the tracks 4would intersect the elevator track 30 at a “T” intersection. A set ofthree tracks 4 connected to a single elevator track 30 would look likean “E” in one configuration (the horizontal bars of the E being thetracks 4, and the vertical bar being the elevator track 30). In such aconfiguration, there would be no way for the vehicle 10 to pass alongthe lowest track 4, travel up the elevator track 30, and ride along thetop of either the highest or second highest track 4. This is because thestatic connection between the elevator track 30 and tracks 4 (e.g., inthe example, between the vertical bar and the horizontal bars) wouldprevent passage of the wheels or the body of the vehicle 10 from onelevel to the next. Certain described embodiments of the presentinvention address this problem by creating exchanges that operate byopening pathways for wheels of the vehicle 10 to pass through. Basicallyspeaking, then, the exchanges involve having “ramps” and “pathways,”with the ramps being movable sections of track (whether of track(s) 4 orelevator track 30) that are made to be present for a wheel to ride uponeither during a transition from track 4 to elevator track 30 or,separately, during continued travel along elevator track 30, and with“pathways” being created by moving a movable section of the track(again, whether of track(s) 4 or elevator track 30) away from thedesired line of travel along the track so that the wheel can passthrough that area. Stated another way, paths are created by removing asection of track when and where a wheel or portion of the vehicle 10needs to essentially pass “through” the track's fully connectedconfiguration.

Described basically as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the vehicle 10includes two sets of wheels, 2 and 3, and a load platform 6. The body ofvehicle 10 may include side panels 1, a drive source 9, and axles 8.Side panels 1 can be substituted with or made part of any other bodystructure, such as a unitary body structure as shown in FIG. 1. Furtherembellishments may include a power source such as battery packs 5 (seeFIG. 12), and storage bin actuators for control of action of bins,tracks, or shelving (or other items), or other features. As seen fromFIG. 1, the vehicle 10 may be mounted on a track 4 (the track 4 beingshown truncated for ease of depiction). FIG. 2 is a side view of thevehicle 10 on a track 4 (again, the track 4 being truncated in thedrawing). Track 4 may be located on (or configured as grooves recessedwithin) opposite walls of an area, on shelves on either side of anaisle, or as free-standing racks of tracks within a facility. Statedgenerally, the vehicle 10 in the shown embodiment rides on track 4, withcontact above the track 4 made via top running “traction wheels” 2.Lower running “road wheels” 3 are provided below the track 4 and to therear of the traction wheels 2 opposite the center of gravity (in itsloaded and unloaded condition) of the vehicle 10. These road wheels 3thus terminate a natural tendency of vehicle 10 to rotate about thetraction wheels 2, thereby increasing traction, stability and providingfor proper load positioning. The center of gravity thus generally isforward of the traction wheels 2, opposite of the road wheels 3(horizontally speaking). The vehicle 10 thus maintains contact with thetrack 4 in a cantilever manner. The wheels may extend outside of thevehicle 10 and load platform 6, allowing vehicle 10 and the loadplatform 6 to rest and move comfortably between the rails of the track4. The vehicle 10, and particularly load platform 6 is shown in linewith the track 4, with the wheels 2 and 3 meeting the track 4 on upperand lower sides, respectively. As will be apparent, the greater theweight of the load, the greater the friction/cantilever effect, and thusthe greater traction.

It will be seen that by track 4 is meant a horizontally separated pairedor set of rails that are configured to sit to either side of the vehicle10. Each set of wheels (2 and 3) comprise at least two wheels, one forcontacting the first rail of the track on a first side of the vehicle10, and the other for contacting the second rail of the track on thesecond side of the vehicle 10. Each set of wheels, then, could actuallyeven comprise a single cylindrical or tubular member that spans the gapand contacts both the first rail and the second rail, with the ends ofthe tube being considered the wheels where touching the rails.Alternately, the sets could include multiple wheels in contact with thefirst rail and multiple wheels that contact the second rail. Suchmultiple wheels could be configured in many relationships, includingpossibly using a wheel chassis that pivots about an axis (see, e.g.,FIGS. 5 and 6, and FIGS. 1 and 2).

The vehicle 10 may in some embodiments be self-propelled, including fromeither an on-board or external power supply or both. It also may beprovided with any desired handling and manipulating devices, such asactuators, and platforms 6, or with other equipment suitable forplacing, extending, retrieving, adjusting, manipulating or transportingitems. Such devices may include advanced features such as robotic arms,carousels, and/or vending equipment. In addition, the vehicle 10 may beprovided with onboard data collection and or transmission system, andother computer processing to communicate with external control and ormonitoring stations. The vehicle 10 can take advantage of productidentification devices commonly used in the industry for inventorycontrol, product acquisition and or recognition. Radio Frequency I.D.,bar codes and magnetic stripe are some non-limiting examples of productidentification systems to be used. Location detection within thefacility can also be used independently or in conjunction with productidentification systems for the same purpose. For example, in someinstallations the vehicle 10 might not be programmed with the identityof the objects it transports, but only its origin and destination. Theexternal control station can coordinate such activities and could keeptrack of what the vehicle 10 is actually transporting. The vehicle 10could be equipped with an onboard microprocessor in which the vehicle 10could process data associated with inventory, product flow, routing,supply and demand as well independently monitor the environments whilein storage and/or in transportation.

The vehicle 10 travels on a track 4 or tracks 4 and in accordance withthe invention may travel back and forth along tracks 4 that arepositioned at different vertically separated levels within a givenaisle. It will be seen from FIG. 3 that the configuration of vehicle 10in the shown embodiment is such that the because of the cantileverdesign and the fact that the traction wheels 2 are offset vertically andhorizontally from road wheels 3, the device may maintain a load platform6 at level both on those sections of track 4 that are level and onelevator track 30, which is shown having a slope. (FIGS. 3 and 4 showonly one side of the tracks, the other of which will be understood to bein identical configuration and on the nearer side of vehicle 10, as eachvehicle 10 runs on a pair of rails which comprise track 4, the railsbeing separated as seen from the top-down view in FIG. 7 by an aisledistance 40). A visual comparison of the orientation of vehicle 10 atlocation B, where it is on the elevator track, and at location C, whereit is on a level location of track 4, shows the platform 6 maintaininglevel in each location without need for mechanical or weighted leveling.As shown, this is effected without variation of the fixed distancebetween the traction wheels 2 and the road wheels 3 (or between the axleor pivot point for such multiples of wheels 2 and 3, where multiplewheels are used), but rather by increasing the gauge (being themeasurement of the vertical width of the rail, not the distance betweenthe rails of the track) of the track as the slope increases.

It should be noted that the elevator track 30 may have a different slopethan that shown. In fact, it is possible with appropriate configurationsof vehicle 10 to have the track vertical or nearly vertical, though thisis not particularly preferred. Another variation of the configurationshown would be to employ a vehicle 10 that more traditionally rides on anumber of wheels that all rest atop the rails of the tracks (e.g.,omitting road wheels 3 under the rail, and adding a fore or aft set ofwheels 2 above the rail). Other modifications would have to be made tothe configuration of the exchanges discussed below, but these are withinthe skill of those in the art, provided the concept of the invention inconnection with the shown vehicle 10 and the exchanges as describedbelow is considered as exemplary.

As shown at location A in FIG. 3, using a sloped elevator track 30 thetransition between the elevator track 30 and the more level areas of thetrack(s) 4 can be made a smooth curve, thus allowing for a readytransition between the surfaces for the vehicle 10. To move between eachlevel within an aisle of vertically separated tracks 4, the vehicle 10travels to the elevator track 30 and then up or down to the desiredtrack 4. To effect a vertical change in location, the vehicle 10 travelsupward and downward along one or more inclined elevator tracks 30, eachhaving a gauge greater than the level tracks if the configuration ofvehicle 10 is used in which wheels 2 and 3 are on opposite (top andbottom) of the rails of the track. Obviously, to do so the vehicle 10must be able to move from the track 4 to the elevator track 30 or viceversa at the points of intersection between the two. For this purpose, aswitching system is used that is referred to by the inventor as an“Incline to Level Exchange System.” At the level areas of track 4, thetrack has a relatively narrow vertical gauge, configured with referenceto the expected configuration of vehicle 10 such that platform 6 islevel. As the storage area has multiple levels, embodiments of theinventive system allow for a single elevator track 30, connectable tomultiple levels of an aisle of shelving (e.g., shelves or floors). It iswithin the inventive scope that more than one incline could be used. Itwill be seen by looking at the transition from the elevator track 30 tothe lowest level of storage in FIG. 3, that if the track alwaysmaintains a transition area (as shown at location A), the vehicle 10could never pass down the sloped portion of track 4 lower than thepermanent transition. To deal with this situation, the inventor hasdeveloped a variable switching system for use at the intersection of theelevator track 30 with each of the level portions of track 4 (above thelowest). This allows the vehicle 10 to vertically pass any number oftracks 4, which same tracks 4 can become later accessible to the vehicle10 by changing the configuration of the switches.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the transition between level track 4and inclined elevator track 30 is achieved by a system of switchinggates near the point of convergence, which are now described in greaterdetail. The shown embodiment includes two main components in theconstruction of each switching gate: a ramp and a pathway (for each sideof track 4). Ramps, like the tracks 4 and the inclined elevator track30, provide a support surface upon which the wheels of the vehicle 10travel. As shown in the FIG. 3, ramps are labeled 21 for a location atwhich the vehicle will transition between horizontal and vertical, andare labeled 23 where the vehicle 10 will continue along the slope.Stated differently, ramps that form a part of the elevator track 30 arelabeled 23 and may be referred to as “elevator ramps,” and ramps thatform a connection between a track 4 and elevator track 30 are labeled 21and may be referred to as “track ramps.”

A pathway, by contrast, is the gap left when a ramp is moved to an“open” position in which is it out of location for supporting passage ofthe wheel between elevator track 30 and track 4, such as by retractingaway from the line of travel for vehicle 10. The pathway is or providesa corridor through which the wheels of vehicle 10 can pass. Pathways areshown, for simplicity's sake in FIGS. 3 and 4, as complete breaksbetween the elevator track 30 and the level portions of track 4 (exceptthat between locations A and B there are dotted lines running through apathway 20 to depict where an elevator ramp 23 would be if this wereconfigured for travel along elevator track 30). It is of course possiblethat the rails are wider than necessary to support the travel of thewheels at such locations, in which case the pathway may be only acut-away portion of the rail through which the wheel needs to pass,leaving the area outside of the wheelbase continuous. As shown in thefigure, a pathway for a level-to-incline transition area is depicted byreference number 20, and a pathway for a location at which the vehicle10 will continue travel on the sloped track 4 is referenced as number22. Stated differently, this means that a pathway between the elevatortrack 30 and a track 4 is labeled 22, and a pathway that cuts into theelevator track 30 is labeled 20.

It should be understood that while the shown embodiment depicts theramps 21 and 23 moving laterally of the track 4 or elevator track 30 tocreate the pathways 20 and 22 (see FIGS. 5, 6, and 8 through 11), sothat the ramps end up parallel to these tracks, though out-of-line withthem, other movement patterns could be used. For example, the ramps 21or 23 could be hinged, such that they “swing” out of the way (upward ordownward, or sideways). Likewise, they could slide into or onto anotherportion of track. In some configurations, the ramp may actually overlaythe track in a different area (e.g., such as a section that folds backonto the rail over which the vehicle 10 will travel, if the ramp is thinenough).

Thus, for locations in which the vehicle 10 will travel along the slopeof elevator track 30 to pass a track 4, ramps 23 are put into theirclosed position by moving them into place in the elevator track 30(rendering the elevator track continuous or un-gapped in that area), andthe pathways 22 are caused to be present between the elevator track 30and the horizontal level of track 4 (rendering a passageway for thetraction wheel 2 to travel along the elevator track 30 without hittingtrack 4). This configuration is shown by all portions of the track abovelocation B in FIG. 3. In these closed positions, ramps 23 providesupport for a desired path of a wheel along the length of the elevatortrack 30.

Conversely, the area between location B and location A in FIG. 3 shows atrack configured to allow transition between elevator track 30 andhorizontal track 4. Shown there, ramp 21 is in place in a closedposition (rendering that specific level of track 4 and the elevatortrack 30 connected in a substantially continuous fashion, such that theramp 21 provides support for a desired path of a wheel traveling betweena track 4 and the elevator track 30), and pathway 20 is open (renderingelevator track 30 broken, gapped, or substantially discontinuous belowthe level of the ramp 21), meaning that as vehicle 10 passes over thisarea from above or from the right (with reference to the drawing), itwill negotiate the transition. The rear, road wheel 3 (being disposed toride below and against the under surface of the rail) will pass throughthe pathway 20 in the elevator track 30, and the front traction wheel 2(being disposed to ride atop the surface of the rail) will ride alongand atop the ramp 21 connecting track 4 to elevator track 30.

It will be noted that the platform 6, being narrower than the aisledistance 30 between the rails of tracks 4, is allowed to pass up anddown the elevator track 30 without interference even when the vehicle 10is traveling along elevator track 30 and passing a number of tracks 4.If the platform 6 is to be of a greater width than aisle distance 40,the vehicle 10 could be configured such that platform 6 is positionedabove or below tracks 4 when vehicle 10 is on a level track 4, and thepathways 22 could be made long enough to allow for passage of theplatform 6 as well as the traction wheels 2. FIGS. 8 to 11 show thevehicle 10 near a system of the ramps and pathways from various angles.FIGS. 8 to 10 show a vehicle 10 positioned on the track system shown inFIG. 4, while FIG. 11 shows a vehicle 10 as positioned on a track systemshown in FIG. 3.

It will be seen from the foregoing discussion that the elevator track 30and the tracks 4 have upper and lower surfaces for supporting the wheelsof the vehicle 10 (or, in a different configuration of the vehicle 10that omits a lower wheel, they may have only an upper surface forsupporting wheels). The discussion above demonstrates that the rampsoperate to continue the supporting surface when the ramps are in their“closed” position. That closed position for a ramp 23 that forms a partof the elevator track 30 is the position in which the ramp is in placerendering the elevator track 30 continuous along its slope for purposesof a wheel passing over it (or, under it, as the case may be). The openposition of that ramp 23 results in a pathway 20. Likewise, the closedposition for a ramp 21, being between the elevator track 30 and thetrack 4, is when the ramp forms a support between the two allowing awheel to roll against it in substantially continuous fashion fromtrack-to-elevator track and/or vice versa. The open position for a ramp21 results in a pathway 22. The open positions, then, are where thesurface for supporting the wheels is broken, gapped, or otherwisereduced, such that a wheel can pass through at least a portion of thatarea where the supporting surface of the ramp otherwise would be.

Multiple configurations can be based on this concept taught in theembodiment shown in FIG. 3. The inventor discloses at least two generalconfigurations of ramps and pathways, depending upon the configurationof the system. In the first configuration, meant for high storage(storage above the slope of the elevator track 30), wheel ramps andpathways work as discussed above. In an alternate embodiment, storagecan occur below the slope of elevator track 30. This “low storage”configuration is shown in FIG. 4. It will be seen by comparison of FIG.3 and FIG. 4 that the same principles apply, with certain variation. Forexample, in the “high storage” configuration shown in FIG. 3, thepathways 23 (pathways that represent corridors for passage of wheelsthrough the elevator track 30) serve to allow passage of the lowerwheels 3 through the area of the elevator track 30's path. Of course,this means that pathways 22 (those between the elevator track 30 and thetracks 4) serve to allow passage of the traction wheels 2. In contrast,in “low storage” conditions, the pathways 23 in the elevator track 30allow passage of the traction wheels 2, and the pathways 22 between theelevator track 30 and the tracks 4 allow passage of the lower wheels 3.

It should be noted that with appropriate modifications, one may be ableto combine high storage and low storage configurations. This may requireuse of multiple paths and ramps at each exchange in order to make thevarious transitions smooth. In such a case, it is possible to have apathway through the elevator track 30, and ramps connecting the tracks 4to the elevator track 30 on both sides of that pathway, so that thevehicle 10 could run past the elevator track 30 if desired, or, inconnection with appropriate ramp and pathway configuration, could mountonto the elevator track 30 to descend (when coming from the side underthe slope) or to ascend (when coming from the side above the slope).

Some or all parts within the system may be shared from wheel ramps topathways and visa versa. For example, in situations in which space andweight savings are important, the material removed to form a pathway mayactually be repositioned to create the ramp. Stated differently, a ramp23 and ramp 21 could be the same structure, if made hinged or otherwisemovable between the positions of those ramps in a way that would leavethe necessary pathways clear at the appropriate configurations.

It should be noted that if an embodiment is used in which the vehicle 10only has wheels that ride atop the tracks 4 and elevator track 30 (i.e.,when the vehicle does not have lower wheels 3), the configuration of thetrack may omit the use of pathways 20 in the elevator track 30 for highstorage situations. This is because there are no lower wheels 3 thatneed to pass through the elevator track. Likewise, in a low storageembodiment using such a vehicle without lower wheels 3, the pathways 22between the tracks 4 and the elevator track 30 can be omitted, becausethere is no need to have a lower wheel 3 pass through those areas.

A possible advantage of this system in some configurations is an abilityto utilize a multitude of storage systems. When storage is accessed byside loading, the vehicle 10 may use selective load handling as well asboth pass-through and push-through equipment, such as actuators fortoggling switches, turning screws, or other load delivery-triggeringtasks. Loads may also be stored directly onto and then retrieved fromdirectly the track in the path of the vehicle 10 creating adrive-through load handling system. This may occur where the load, suchas a pallet, is wider than the aisle distance and rides above the track4 on level track runs, and where the pathways 22 are sufficiently longto allow passage of the pallet. Mechanical devices could be used toraise and lower the pallet from contact with the track 4 (such as with afork lift mechanism). This would allow for a warehouse to be createdwithout any physical difference between aisles and intended storagelocations, such that an area of tracks that is eleven rails wide (beingthereby ten tracks wide) could be loaded with fully ten rows ofmaterial. In operation, this loading scheme could be used, for example,in a transport ship, to allow storage in all free space in the cargoarea. One loading scheme would pack items that are to be removedimmediately upon docking into every other set of tracks (e.g.,even-numbered or odd-numbered tracks), such that following removal ofthat cargo, the remaining cargo is left in a system of stacks andaisles, from which cargo can be selectively pulled. A combination ofload handling systems also can be used within the same aisle and/orfacility. Multiple vehicles 10 can operate concurrently within the sameaisle and/or facility with greater ease than in conventional systems.

Products handled by the vehicle 10 may need load handling or stowagedevices, such as pallets, drum pinchers, buckets, or pill carousels.Such devices may be stored with the product (as in a pallet being loadedinto the storage area with the product) or may travel primarily with thevehicle 10 (as one may expect of a pill carousel or drum pinchers).

The described vehicle 10 is not limited to service within the confinesof a single aisle or within a single storage system. The vehicle 10 iscapable of traversing and negotiating relatively long distances viaRemote Access Tracks. These tracks, referred to now by inventor as RATs,allow the vehicle 10 access to multiple aisles, storage systems andlocations for the purpose of product storage, loading, unloading orutilization. The teaching from the incline to level exchanges (such asthe transitions between elevator track 30 and track 4, using paths andramps) discussed above (the “exchanges”) can be used in conjunction withtechniques for dividing a railway into two horizontal paths, to providethe system with the ability not only to perform vertical locationchanges but horizontal as well. By way of example, the exchange could beused to split the track (vertically speaking, such as is describedgenerally above for the system to change levels in an aisle), then eachseparate level of track could turn in different directions, horizontallyspeaking (e.g., left or right, as with railroad track changers).Horizontal (e.g., left and right) splitting of the track likewise couldoccur before an exchange or exchanges. Once a vehicle 10 passes throughan exchange, the track 4 and subsequently the vehicle 10, is notrequired to travel in a straight line but may traverse along any numberof RATs. RATs may be of simple track construction and can be mounted orsuspended from above, supported from below, held from the sides, passover ground, under ground, under water, in corridors placed in walls,floors and ceilings. RATs, and even aisles, can twist, turn, and makeother variations from straight line travel. RATs, in particular butwithout limitation, may benefit from this ability, where a connectingtrack 4 between two parts of a warehouse allows for high speeds, inwhich banking and other “roadway” profiling may be valuable.

It will be understood that the traction wheels 2 and the road wheels 3could be replaced with sets of wheels, respectively, as shown in thedrawings. In such configurations, it would be useful for the sets ofwheels to have a fixed axle or pivot point for each set, to allow themall come into contact with the track 4. Exemplary configurations areshown in the figures, though other configurations may be used. Thedrawings are considered a part of this disclosure and are herebyincorporated by reference.

Turning to the other drawings, these are shown to assist in disclosureof potential embodiments and operation. FIGS. 5 and 6 show an embodimentwith sets of wheels 3 and sets of wheels 2. FIG. 5 shows the embodimentat a level location of track 4. FIG. 6 shows the same embodiment locatedwith the wheel sets rotated into substantially the position they wouldbe expected to adopt on an elevator track 30 of a particular slope.Shown in the area of reference numeral 8 is the pivot point for the setof traction wheels 2.

FIG. 7 is provided to show a top-down view of the vehicle 10. In thisshown embodiment, the aisle distance 40 is clearly shown. Road wheels 3are visible as if seen through the tracks 4, though it will beunderstood that this is for sake of disclosure only, and that in anactual embodiment those wheels 3 may not be visible at this position, asthey would be at least partially hidden by the track 4 under which theyride (assuming the rail is not transparent). Shown on the load area ofvehicle 10 is a pill carousel, generally designated 101. Individualloads within the carousel may also be pill bottles or othersub-containers, as depicted by the presence of bottles 100. This viewserves to show that the vehicle 10 may be fitted with interior bumperwheels 11, which have an axle disposed to cause the bumper wheels to runin contact with the inner side of track 4. These bumper wheels 11 serveto orient, possibly even “center,” the vehicle 10 to increase the chancethat the wheels 2 and 3 are optimally placed. The bumper wheels 11 alsoserve to keep the vehicle 10 from jamming against the rails of thetracks. The axles for bumper wheels 11 could be fitted to pivot within aplane that runs along the length of the track 4, such that they canchange inclination when the vehicle 10 is on an elevator track 30, asopposed to a level track 4.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary depiction of a vehicle 10 passing through anexchange in a low storage configuration, where the traction wheels 2 arein a pathway 20, and the rear of a traction wheel 2 is actually touchingone of the ramps 21 between the track 4 and the elevator track 30. Inthe shown position, the road wheels 3 are still on the track 4. This isshown in a low storage configuration (discussed above).

The same position is shown in perspective in FIG. 9. Here, ramp 23 isshown as open ramp 23 a, being pulled out to the side to create theelevator path 20 and thus allow passage of traction wheels 2. Again theimage in FIG. 10 shows essentially the same position, but from anotherangle.

FIG. 11 is another image of the vehicle (this time configured for highstorage), located at a set of exchanges. Here, the traction wheels 2 canbe seen on a ramp 21 between the track 4 and the elevator track 30. Thelower wheels 3 are just passing through a pathway 20 opened in elevatortrack 30, which was left by a ramp 23 being in an open position(depicted as ramp 23 a). Below the position of the vehicle 10 is shownthe next ramp 23 in place in the elevator track 30.

FIG. 12 shows a rendition of the vehicle at a storage location on track4, where there are adjacent bins for storage.

Markets may include handling of secured and or hazardous products,storage, retrieval and delivery of supplies and equipment on board shipsand in mobile equipment; under ground storage; order fulfillment; thirdparty logistics centers; product distribution centers; pharmaceuticalstorage, retrieval and delivery; automated parking facilities forvehicles without passengers; clean room storage, retrieval and delivery;order picking, and other uses.

Other embodiments and advantages of the invention will be understood bythose skilled in the art.

1. A warehousing track comprising: a) a plurality of main tracks, saidmain tracks being vertically separated, each main track comprising atleast two horizontally extending rails separated by a horizontaldistance; and b) an elevator track comprising an upper surface forsupporting a wheel of a vehicle, which upper surface is set at anincline relative to at least a portion of the plurality of main tracks,wherein the elevator track crosses multiple vertical levels of maintracks; and c) a ramp surface, which ramp surface is movable between: 1.a first position, which provides support for an anticipated path of thewheel when said wheel is traveling between at least one of said maintracks and the elevator track, and
 2. a second position that isdifferent from the first position.
 2. A warehousing track as in claim 7wherein the elevator track comprises a plurality of movable sections. 3.A warehousing track comprising a plurality of main tracks, said maintracks being horizontally extending and vertically separated, each maintrack comprising at least two rails separated by a horizontal distance;and an elevator track having a surface for supporting a wheel of avehicle, which surface is set at an incline relative to at least aportion of the plurality of main tracks; wherein said elevator trackpasses multiple main tracks and comprises a ramp section that is movablebetween an open position and a closed position, in which closed positionthe ramp forms a part of the surface for supporting the wheel, and whichopen position is different from the closed position.